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She scooted farther away. “Why do you have men on the Hungarian border?”
There was a studied casualness to Mehmed’s voice that made the hairs on the back of Lada’s neck rise. “As a reminder to Hunyadi that he is still needed in Hungary.”
“But I persuaded Hunyadi to stay out of Constantinople. I told you I had. Do you not trust me?”
“Of course I trust you! But I cannot risk anything. It was extra assurance, is all.”
It made sense, Lada supposed. But the fact that he felt he had to double up on work she had already done bothered her. And she worried for Hunyadi’s safety. He was one of the few people in the world she considered family.
Family. Lada had not even thought to ask about Radu yet. “Where is Radu? Did he come?” He had not come with the ambassadors, but where Mehmed was, Radu would be, too.
Mehmed stopped trying to coax her back down. He flopped flat onto his back, raising an arm over his face as though tired. “No, Radu did not come.”
“He did not come,” she repeated, her voice flat with disappointment and shock. She needed her brother. He had a way with people like the boyars. Hunyadi had been right—she did not have the weapons for that kind of combat. Radu did. How dare he reject her again. “Did he say why?”
Mehmed shook his head.
“Where is he now?” What was important enough to keep him away from both Lada and Mehmed?
Mehmed shrugged. He was avoiding answering her. She grabbed the arm that covered his face and pulled it down so he could not hide his expression from her. “Where is my brother, Mehmed?”
He looked at the ceiling of the tent. “Constantinople.”
“The siege has already started?” The siege had started, and Mehmed was here. With her. She was warm with pleasure over finally outranking that stupid city.
“No.”
Her pleasure fled, leaving her cold. “Then what is he doing in Constantinople? Did you make him an ambassador? You know how dangerous that is!”
“I needed someone there, inside.”
Lada sat up, the blankets dropping. He had not answered her question about Radu being an ambassador. He had dodged it with something that sounded like an answer, but obviously was not. Not an ambassador, then. “You sent him as a spy!”
“I needed someone I could trust absolutely.”
“I do not care what you needed! He was supposed to be here, with me! Or at the very least at your side during the siege, where he would no doubt be perfectly safe.”
Mehmed sat up, too, eyes flashing dangerously. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that wherever you are during the siege will be the safest place in the world. Which is where my brother should be as well! How could you throw him into so much danger?”
“It was the best choice.”
“For him,
or for you?”
“For the empire.”
“Oh, for the empire! Well, that makes everything better.” Lada threw back the blankets and got out of bed. She began tugging her discarded clothes on.
“Radu will be fine. He is smarter and stronger than you have ever given him credit for,” Mehmed said.
Lada jabbed a finger against his bare chest. “Do not dare tell me you know my brother better than I do.”
Mehmed laughed. “But I do.”
Words she knew she would always regret saying halted on the tip of her tongue. If Mehmed did not know how Radu felt about him, he would not learn of it from her. “You ask too much of him.”
